The Women Leaders Who Are Changing the Face of Workplace Culture in 2022 May 29, 2022 by Belinda EganOur tools [as feminist leaders] are art, literature, politics, philosophy, and love.” Zainab Fasiki A 2021 Catalyst study showed that “employees with highly empathetic senior leaders report higher levels of creativity and engagement than those with less empathetic senior leaders.” (Tara Van Bommel, Ph.D.) This is excellent news for employees with female leaders. Another 2021 study by S&P Global found that women CEOs tend to use more positive sentiment and empathetic approaches in their leadership than their male counterparts. Throughout May, we’ve been exploring the role of leadership strategy in making positive changes to workplace culture. So far, we’ve covered how to identify issues within your workplace culture and develop a team-first leadership strategy based on your observations and goals. In this article, I highlight a few of the incredibly inspiring and powerful female leaders around the world. They are changing the face of workplace culture in ways guided by their own unique life experiences. As has become apparent, the COVID-19 pandemic completely rocked the world of work, pretty much across the board. Organizations have scrambled to reassemble teams as employees have quit in droves, remote work has become the norm for many, and priorities have shifted for most employees as the younger generations move up the career ladder. The world of leadership has to change with the times. Here are some stories of women in powerful positions who are taking up the task with courage, determination, and a hell of a lot of heart! Dr. Darienne D. Hudson, President & CEO, United Way Southeastern Michigan Dr. Hudson has been with United Way since 2018, having served in multiple influential positions beforehand, such as superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools, Chief Innovation Officer at MPS, and Deputy Chief of Empowerment Schools for the School District of Philadelphia. Her lifelong dedication to equality, changing reform in education, and improving the quality of life for underprivileged families is evident in all of the moves she’s made in her career. In an interview for GM, Dr. Hudson said she knows very well that the choices she makes as a leader are crucial because of her minority status in multiple arenas: “As a Black woman CEO in my early 40s, it is important for me to lead with confidence and integrity, understanding that all too often I must work twice as hard to be considered half as qualified. I know personally that being “the first” comes with significant responsibility to ensure that others who come behind me will be given the same opportunities to lead.” Darienne believes in the power of connecting people to make big changes. “How do we use our technology to our advantage? We have all of these tools and this access, we need to leverage that. I think about partnership and access differently, too. I think sometimes, as CEOs, professors, and presidents, we tend to think positionality dictates who you meet with, when you meet with them, how often, or how frequently. All of that has gone out the window. I have more CEOs’ phone numbers, and more people have mine than I’ve had in a really long time. That’s the way that it should be. We need to move forward not focused on positionality but how we can bring our resources together in partnership to get things done and really change things in our communities.” Corie Barry, CEO Best Buy Corie has transformed the consumer experience for all as Best Buy CEO since 2019. Before taking on her role as CEO, she was involved in the development of growth strategy and ground-floor initiatives and served as Chief Financial and Strategic Transformation Officer. Corie believes deeply in leaning into discomfort and breaking new ground when it comes to being a truly impactful leader that can effect lasting change in an organization. In an interview with CNBC in 2019, Corie sent a clear message to women in the workplace that she has lived and breathed throughout her career: “Speak up with the point of view in the room that may not be popular. Have those uncomfortable moments. Because my strong personal belief is that those moments cause you to grow the most yourself, but that also differentiates you the most in your career.” During a keynote speech at the University of St. Thomas, Barry addressed her leadership strategy when it comes to creating a positive workplace culture for employees: “I try as best I can to set aside time to use every communication vehicle that we have to try to be out there,” she said. “To be seen as a human is really important to me. It’s about how a suite of leaders can all have some presence like this and can be seen as accessible.” Reshma Kewalramani, M.D., FASN, CEO of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Reshma was a practicing physician until 2017 when she joined Vertex as CEO. Previously serving as Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President of Global Medicines Development and Medical Affairs, Reshma has dedicated her life to advancing medicine and improving patients’ lives. As a leader, Kewalramani focuses on increasing representation, diversity, and equity within her teams. She recognizes the fact that women have traditionally been less present in STEM careers, but that doesn’t mean this can’t change. She also highlights the importance of mentorship in one’s career – of diverse backgrounds, educations, and experiences, as well: “Never underestimate the power of mentorship. This is advice I give to everyone—women, men, and colleagues from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds. This is important because life (whether it is about personal decision-making, career decision-making, or decision-making for a company) is about evaluating weak signals and trying to make the best decision by connecting the dots in these weak signals. That’s where mentors come in. They sit on a different perch. They have different life experiences. They read the weak signals differently. And by sharing their perspectives, they often open the aperture for what’s possible. I’m so passionate about this because I am a great beneficiary of outstanding mentoring. It’s important to remember that mentors don’t have to be similar to you. Seek multiple mentors who come from different backgrounds and have different perspectives. Two of my most important mentors are men, and the diversity of thought, ideas, and life experiences are what helped these mentorships flourish.” What’s your experience being affected, or affecting your workplace culture as a woman? Write to me here and tell me about how you’re navigating the rapidly changing workplace culture – I just might feature you in an article in the future! In courage, Belinda Egan